Happy Halloween
by tempest10
Summary: Tom, Harry, and Halloween antics. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

"Commander, if you don't stop playing with that whip, you're going to lose it."

Next to the speaker, an Indiana Jones grinned sheepishly and began coiling it up. Kathryn Janeway rolled her eyes. What had possessed her to let people wear costumes on Halloween?

However, she thought with another sharp glance at Chakotay, most people had been somewhat responsible, although she had had to reprimand a female ensign for her rather… creative bunny costume.

_ At least I won't have to deal with Tom today. And Harry's got a day off too… _Oh no.

_What are they up to?_

She barely heard the tubolift doors opening, but she did hear the loud CRASH! that followed. _That's probably my answer._

She stood up and turned around, just in time to see a… thing rising from the floor.

It had four legs and a dirty-brown colored body. What looked like a bundle of tangled yarn surrounded like a mane what she supposed was a face. At least, it had black spots in the places for eyes and nose, and a large lopsided hole about where you would hope to find a mouth. She stared, mouth open as it suddenly spoke.

"For gossakes, Harry, look where you're going!"

"What! I can't see a thing in here; it's pitch black. Why did you get to be the front anyway?"

"Because I thought of this costume in the first place."

"Yeah, great costume. A lion."

Janeway found her voice. "Mister Paris?"

"Uh… Happy Halloween?"

"May I ask what you're doing on my bridge in the getup?"

The front feet of the lion (presumably Paris's) began to shuffle around nervously. "Well, y'know, it's Halloween. And we've got a few kids on the ship now, but we're not really set up for trick-or-treating. And well, this part of space isn't really teeming with aliens or black holes or anything interesting, so people have been kind of bored…"

Janeway rolled her eyes. "Kindly get to the point."

"Me and Harry-"

A voice from the back half of the lion hissed "This was your idea!"

"Fine, _I_ had the idea for a sort of trick-or-treat in reverse. We both had the day off, so we could deliver candy around. A lot of people chipped in to replicate it all."

There was silence, which after a few seconds Harry broke by whispering "Give her the bribe!"

"Oh yeah!" There was a slight rustling sound and Tom's arm poked out of lion's 'mouth', carrying a small paper bag. Janeway took it all cautiously unwrapped the contents. She placed one in her mouth.

"Chocolate covered coffee beans… Alright. Go ahead and deliver, but try not to be disruptive."

She could almost see Tom's cocky grin. "Yes Ma'am! Alright if I cover the bridge right now?"

"Go ahead."

The 'lion' began to move clumsily around the various consoles, doling out candy as it went. However, it stopped short at Tuvok's, causing the back half to walk right into the front. "Tuvok, you haven't got a costume on!"

"Halloween is a human custom. I am not human."

"C'mon, lots of people who aren't humans are wearing costumes today."

"Perhaps, but I not one of them. Furthermore, I do not even possess a costume."

"If you did, would you wear it?" Tom's arm came snaking out of the 'mouth' again, this time carrying a bright red cowboy hat. With fringe. "We came prepared," he said, by way of explanation.

With an almost imperceptible glance skyward, Tuvok put on the hat.

**(A/N: What do you think? Good, bad, in between? Got a suggestion for someone's costume? Leave a review! Please?)**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N: Sorry for the hugely long wait! However, if someone is excited or anything about this, the next chapter will probably have a similarly-long wait. Sorry.)**

Seven tapped at a console in Astrometrics quickly and efficiently. She didn't turn when the door opened, she didn't turn at the muffled 'ouch!' when it closed, but when she heard a voice shout "Happy Halloween!", she turned around. She then turned back to her console and continued working. Seven was too busy for trivial interruptions.

The 'lion' wandered up to her. "Hey," said the front. "We brought you candy."

"I do not need a nutritional supplement at this time."

"Well, you could take it now and eat it later."

"Candy is unhealthy."

"C'mon, it's Halloween!" the lion pleaded.

Seven paused and cocked her head. "Halloween. An Earth holiday in which children wear costumes and demand candy from strangers. The Borg have no equivalent."

"There's more to it than that." The lion paused, then leaned in toward the ex-drone. "Seven, you aren't wearing a costume."

"I am not a child."

"So? It's a human tradition."

"I have no costume."

"We're carrying a spare."

"'We'?"

Another voice, this one emanating from the lion's rump, spoke. "Hi. It's, uh, me. Harry."

"Hello, Harry." Seven turned back to the front, which she presumed contained Tom Paris. "Very well, I will comply. Give me the costume."

Tom's arm emerged from the lion's mouth and dropped an object into Seven's outstretched hand. She examined it. The object was round, red, about an inch and a half across, and made of foam rubber. "Put it on your nose," suggested Tom.

She did so. "Is this acceptable?"

"Oh, yes." There was a snicker. "and we figured you'd object to ordinary candy so we brought you something else." The arm emerged again and dropped a small paper packet in her hand.

"What is it?"

Tom's voice sounded affronted. "Why, it's only the thing the Borg have been searching for all these years and centuries. It's only the pure essence of perfection."

Harry spoke up. "They're white chocolate truffles."

"Thank you." Seven put down the packet. "Perhaps I will eat them later."

"Alright, see ya'". They made it to the door without knocking anything over, but when they reached it, the front stopped. The back legs walked straight into it, leading to a brief hemorrhaging of candy, as it spilled from whatever it was they were carrying it in. They picked it up, which took a while as they were both bumping into each other and the costume was close enough that it was hard to bend over. Seven waited patiently for them to finish.

Once they had retrieved the better part of their candy, (and kicked the rest under various consoles for Seven to have to get later), Tom asked "Where are the kids?"

"They are with the Doctor. However, if I guess your intentions correctly, you may visit them in Cargo Bay Two in three hours."

"What are they doing with him?"

"They wanted to wear costumes today, for some unfathomable reason. The Doctor is helping them with it. You will see in three hours."

"Alright, great. See you then Seven!"

Seven turned back to her work and didn't watch them go through the doors.


End file.
